Rotary switch.



PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907 F. @,DB BEAMER. ROTARY SWITCH. APPlZIGATIOy FILED JULY 21, 1904.

l f Figf Witnesses y Inventor. Frank C. DeReamer by my i To all whom it may concern:

'so the switch.

4511 gings, forming apart ofthis specification, 1n

A 'plied thereto. 59 nal section thereof with the thumb-nut and I l part ofthe actuating-shaft removed. Fig. 3

nNrTnn sTaTns PATENT cession.. s'

FRANK C. DE REAMER, OF- SCHENEC'IADY, NEW YORK` ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF YORK.

ROTARY swlTcH.

Specification of Letters Patent.`

Application filed July 21,1904., .semi No. 217.456.

Patented Jail. 1-5, 1907.

,Be it known that I, FRANK C. DE RE ER, a`- citizen of the vUnited States, residing' at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State 'f5 of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements infRotary Switches, .of

which the following is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to rotary electric switch cut-outs, and more particutoA larly to that class of such devicesin' which the 'conductor parts are inclosed or/concealed from vlew. The= mclosedswitches incommon use are made up of an lnsulating-base 1 part-upon whichthe-stationary and movable 15 contacts are mounted, a cap or plate engag-l ing one sidehof lthebase and serving as a finishedhousing for theioperative parts,anda thumb-nut which extends through the cap or plate and is connected to the movable switch 2o member to actuate'it andi 'also' in some instances to hold the cap or plate close up to the base part.

It has .been customary heretoforein order to indicate whether the movable contact of an inclosed switch cut-out were in-open or closed position to provide an index 'late .or

ger upon the spindle of the movab e memer; but this is 4objectionable onaccount of' interfering withthe'esthetic appearance 0f The object of my inventionnisf to provide adjustable `meas whereby the lthumb-piece ofya switch cut-out may be so ositioned relatively tosthe movable contact t at the thumbpiece will visually indicate the positionof the movable Contact relatively to the stationary contact.

A further object, of my invention is to pro'- vide an improved stationaryv ycontact which 491, ismore durable and less expensive to manu'- facture than the contact heretofore in use.

H For accompl'ete understanding ofmy'in- Ivention referencemaybe had to the followdescription and the accompanying drawwh1ch-- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a Hush wall-switch with my inventionv a Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudiis a top plan of the switch with the `-thumb'- 'I n utand face -plate removed. '..Figtav is af side elevation of a stationary. contact..

the inner surface of the bottom of the base 1 a snap-switch 5 otany suitable construction is secured. As shown, the switch consists of a stop-plate 6, secured rigidly to the base by projections extending through apertures and soldered at 7 an actuating-spindle 8, free to turn in the st p-plate .6,y but held from longitudinal movement by a shoulder? 9, beneath the plate;a catch-plate 10, having a central hub 11, throughwhich the spindle 8 passes,` and two opposite wings 12, having meansat .their lower edges for engagin the stop-plate; a helical spring 13, surrounding the spindle and engaging at its ends with the spindle and the catch-plate '10 la switch-blade 14, consisting of a metal punching with'av central aperture through which the catch-plate 10 is free to' slide, and a` pin 15, carried by the spindle 8 and engaging the upper surface of the blade 14 to hold it from rising, and the lower edge of the catch-plate 10, which is, formed in the shape of a cam 16, .so thatwhen thespindle is rotated clockwise the spring 13 is iirst put under tension and as the pin 15 reaches the lowermost part of the cam 1,6 the catch-plate 10 is freed from the stop-plate 6 and rotates under the recoil of the -spring through a quarter of a circle, .carryingthe switch-blade with it. In the larger sizes of switches a second switch-blade is mounted some distance above the first, so as to break the 'circuit in both sides. Y

The stationary contacts 17 consist' of U- `shaped phosphor-bronze springsy each having .an end ofone arm bent over to form a shoul-v der l8gand riveted to an arm of the'bind` '-f post 4.. By securing the contact `17 tothe inding-post, as shown inFig. 2, the bearingsurface is in position to engage thefcontact-- blade 14; `but by inverting the 'contact 17 its bearing-surtace4 ist brought into tionffor engaging the upper bla e of a two'- blade'f-.switch,` and asa conse uence of this necessary;

The upper'fendfff the basel 1 is closed by a .flat -face-plate'19, having a central' a erture 2Q for the passage of the spindle 8 an is held from disp acement 'in its plane by v4'pins' or screws v21, which engageIsheet-meta ears 22,Y

roper posi- IOC),V

- arrangementfbut a'single set o punchings is i las;

extending outwardly from theuppersurfaee of the base vand having countersunklioles 23 for the screws, by which the switch is secured in place. i l

The'thumb-pieee '24 is connected to the outer end of the spindle 8 by serew-threads in the usual manner and has a shoulder 25 turned thereon for en agement with the outer surface of the face-p ate. By screwing the thumb-piece down upon the face-plate the latter is clamped upon the wall of the base, and by adjusting the thumb-piece rotarily into arallelism or Aat ri ht `an les to the swite -blade 14 it will in icate tie position of 'thei latter relatively to its stationary eontaots.

ieee 24 in adjusted position without intereringwithits readyremoval consists 'of' a flanged collar 26, threaded upon thespindle 8 and providedwith a clamping-screw 27, by which it'is held from-being rotated out of its adusted position.

do not 'desire to restrict myself to thel 'lv-articular form or arrangement of 'parts iorein shownv and described, since it is a 'parent that they may be changed and mo iiied without departing Jrom my invention.

What Ielaim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent of the lUnited States, isf l. Theeombination with a rotary-switeh mechanism and its covereplate, of a'thumbpiece screw-threaded vto the shaft of said The means for securing the thumbthereof.

i switch,4 and a shouldered collar screw-threadthe end of said thumb-piece.

2. The combination with. a rotary-switch mechanisml and its-eover-plate, of a thumbpiece screw-threaded to the shaft of said switch, a-shouldered collar screw-threaded to said shaft for holding said thumb-,piece in ad justed position, andy means for clamping 'said collar to the shaft.

3. -The combination of' a binding-post pro-v vided With a projecting arm, and a LJ-shapedrv spring-contact having one arm bent oyer at its end to form a shouldera'ndseeured to said projecting arm of the bindin -post with the shoulder in engagement wit an edge 4. The combination with a spring-contact,

of a sheet-metal post having its opposite ends beni up at right angles thereto to erm a foot and a bindingfplatean'd a side arm turned up.v

from one edge ofthe foot and bent outwardly at right angles to the edge of the post, and means for seeuringsaid contact to said side arm.

In witness whereof I have hereunto yset my hand this 19th day of July, 1904,

FRANK C. DE BEAMER. 

